Hymnal project update

An update on progress and price

You can read more about the philosophy behind the hymnal project here.

Thank you to all who’ve expressed interest in our upcoming hymnal project! We’ve finished typesetting 100 hymns out of the projected 240, and we’ve already begun editing the ones that are finished. We’re hoping to go to press in January.

The hymns are set in several different formats. Those that are best sung in unison, like “Spirit of Heaven,” are arranged in a simple 2-staff piano style (here). Those that fit more traditional voice parts, like “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People,” are arranged in a traditional four-part hymn style (here). And quite a few are arranged in a hybrid vocal/piano style, reflecting the way that our musicians sing them (like “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” here).

A number of people have asked about the format of the part-writing. This hymnal is intended to be for singers, not instrumentalists. While many traditional hymns are arranged in a format that works for both voices and keyboard to use, many modern ones are not. Additionally, our efforts to breathe new life into timeless hymns means that in new arrangements, sometimes the voices function differently than the accompaniment. We won’t be putting out an instrumental companion, but all instrumental resources should be easily available on Grace Music or on the internet (Sovereign Grace, Getty Music, etc).

The hymnal will include indexes for title, topic, and author/composer. Hymns are grouped into 14 topics:

Based on best estimates on printing and copyright costs, it looks like the hymnal will cost between $6 and 8 each. We’re using the same printing company (and the same printing and binding materials) that Hope Publishing uses to print its hymnals, so the hymnals should look great and hold up well under use.